Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus (4 May 1772 – 20 August 1823) was a German
encyclopedia
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
and
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...
, famed for publishing the ''
Conversations-Lexikon'', which is now published as the
Brockhaus encyclopedia.
Biography
Brockhaus was educated at the
gymnasium of his native
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
, and from 1788 to 1793 served an apprenticeship in a mercantile house at
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...
. He then devoted two years at the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...
to the study of modern languages and literature, after which he set up in
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
an emporium for
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
goods. In 1801, he transferred this business to
Arnheim, and in the following year to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
In 1805, having given up his first line of trade, Brockhaus began business as a publisher. Two journals projected by him were not allowed by the government to survive for any length of time, and in 1810 the complications in the affairs of Holland induced him to return homewards. In 1811 he settled at
Altenburg
Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
. About three years previously he had purchased the copyright of the bankrupt ''
Conversations-Lexikon'', an
encyclopedia
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...
started in 1796, and in 1810-1811 he completed the first edition of this celebrated work. It was widely imitated as a model for encyclopedias, and is still published today, known as the ''
Brockhaus Encyclopedia''.
A second edition under Brockhaus's editorship was begun in 1812, and was received with universal favour. His business extended rapidly, and in 1818 Brockhaus moved to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
, where he established a large printing-house. Among the more extensive of his many literary undertakings were the critical periodicals — ''Hermes'', the ''Literarisches Konversationsblatt'' (afterwards the ''Blätter für literarische Unterhaltung'') and the ''Zeilgenossen'', and some large historical and bibliographical works, such as
Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer
Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer (14 May 1781 – 14 June 1873) was a German historian. He was the first scientific historian to popularise history in German. He travelled extensively and served in German legislative bodies.
Biography
He was b ...
's ''Geschichte der Hohenstaufen'', and
Friedrich Adolf Ebert's ''Allgemeines bibliographisches Lexikon''.
Brockhaus died in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
.
The business was carried on by his sons, Friedrich Brockhaus (1800–1865), who retired in 1850, and
Heinrich Brockhaus
Heinrich Brockhaus (4 February 1804 – 15 November 1874) was a German book dealer and publisher who became a liberal politician.
Life
Heinrich Brockhaus was born into a protestant family in Amsterdam, a principal commercial centre in the Batavia ...
(1804–1874), under whom it was considerably extended. Heinrich especially rendered great services to literature and science, which the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The ...
recognized by making him, in 1858,
honorary Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
. In the years 1842–1848, Heinrich Brockhaus was member of the
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
second chamber, as representative for Leipzig, was made honorary citizen of that city in 1872, and died there on 15 November 1874.
His firm continues under the name
F.A. Brockhaus AG
__NOTOC__
F. A. Brockhaus AG is a German book publishing firm founded by Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus. It is best known for its eponymous encyclopedia.
History
Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus founded his publishing house in 1805 in Amsterdam, then p ...
in his honor. He is also the namesake of
27765 Brockhaus, a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1991.
See also
*
F.A. Brockhaus AG
__NOTOC__
F. A. Brockhaus AG is a German book publishing firm founded by Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus. It is best known for its eponymous encyclopedia.
History
Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus founded his publishing house in 1805 in Amsterdam, then p ...
Notes
References
* This work in turn cites:
**H. E. Brockhaus, ''Friedrich A. Brockhaus, sein Leben und Wirken nach Briefen und andern Aufzeichnungen'' (3 vols., Leipzig. 1872-1881)
**H. E. Brockhaus, ''Die Firma F. A. Brockhaus von der Begründung bis zum hundertjährigen Jubiläum'' (1805-1905, Leipzig, 1905)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brockhaus, Friedrich Arnold
1772 births
1823 deaths
German encyclopedists
German editors
German publishers (people)
Businesspeople from Dortmund
Leipzig University alumni
Writers from Leipzig
German male non-fiction writers
Brockhaus family